(Mashable) -- Part of Foursquare's appeal is the mystery, the sense of flying blind when you're trying to earn a badge or mayorship. No one really knows how many times you must check into a location to become mayor.

This clever little app searches your Foursquare history and tells you how many check ins stand between you and a gloat-worthy new mayorship. The application will also send you updates on your progress.

All you have to do is fill out a simple name/password/email form and authorize Foursquare access via OAuth. It's a simple, two-click process.

Creator Greg Avola says the algorithm he uses is complex and requires a ton of Foursquare API calls, sometimes causing the app to bug out. And yes, he admits that WhenWillIBeMayor's design is "horribleness."

What do you think, readers? Should this app be considered cheating, akin to using steroids or some such trickery? Or does it simply up the stakes for truly devoted players?